RMT007 How to handle objections (with guest Steve Kloyda)

So, you’ve gotten in the door and pitched your idea or venture to a few people, but they aren’t interested. How do you handle their objections? Your response makes a world of difference—for them, for you, and for your venture.

In this episode, prospecting expert Steve Kloyda talks about how to handle others’ objections to our ideas. His tips:

1. Listen. Don’t get offensive when others object or don’t respond favorably to our inquiry or invitation.
2. Ask questions. Try to understand the other person’s point-of-view.
3. Remember the ABCs: Don’t argue, don’t battle, don’t contradict. You don’t have to fight to prove you’re right.
4. Get off of the objection. Refocus on the purpose of the call.

Quotes from this episode:

• “I’ve spent the last 35 years of my life teaching people how to, what I call, not to overcome the objection—because when you overcome, somebody wins and someone loses—how to work with the objection.” —Steve
• “It applies the classical Art of War training: where you work with them, rather than resist them. Because the more you resist, the more you create an argument and the less likely you break down the defenses.” —Leary
• “When we’re engaged with people we’ve never met before, we’re automatically on the defense…. Listening is the best way to bring a defense down because it creates empathy.” —Leary
• “The ABCs of working with objections: don’t argue with people, don’t do battle with them, don’t contradict everything that they say. Period. End of story.” —Steve

Have you found other ways to effectively handle objections? Share your tips in the comments below.

Resources mentioned in or related to this podcast:

• Steve Kloyda’s website: theprospectingexpert.com
• Dan Pink’s book, To Sell is Human
• Leary Gates’ review of To Sell is Human